


time has come let us be brave

by HeartonFire



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Female Bonding, Fluff, Hanukkah, Holidays, Kastle Christmas Secret Santa Gift Exchange, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21826696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartonFire/pseuds/HeartonFire
Summary: Months after everything that went down at the hospital, Karen gets a phone call that brings her to a strange place and forces her to work through some of her feelings. Maybe this time, she can finally get what she wants for Christmas.For the Kastle Secret Santa Gift Exchange 2k19.
Relationships: Frank Castle & David "Micro" Lieberman & Leo Lieberman & Sarah Lieberman & Zach Lieberman, Frank Castle/Karen Page
Comments: 14
Kudos: 61
Collections: kastlechristmas2k19





	time has come let us be brave

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aurelia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurelia/gifts).



> For Kamille, [@songof-thelark](https://songof-thelark.tumblr.com/) on tumblr. Thank you for such great prompts (and some new songs to add to my Kastle playlist), but this one is primarily based on these two prompts:  
> The Weight of Us, Sanders Bohlke  
> Karen takes care of a sick Frank
> 
> Enjoy!

Karen didn’t know what she was doing here, at this white house out in the suburbs. She had nearly turned around three times on her way. She had never even met these people. It could be a trap.

But here she was, anyway. She knocked on the door and considered, one more time, running away as fast as she could. It had just started to snow, and Karen pulled her coat tighter around herself against the bitter wind. A menorah glowed in the window, and she was reminded that the holidays were here. She hadn’t bought a single present this year. It wasn’t just that she was behind; she didn’t have many people to buy for these days.

The door opened, before she could fall too far down that line of thinking, and a pretty blonde woman smiled at her.

“You must be Karen. Please, come in.”

Too late to back out now. Karen followed her into the house. It was cozy, comfortable. There were books and various items of sports equipment everywhere, and a basket full of clothes by the stairs. A few candles flickered on the coffee table, and paper snowflakes covered the walls. A family lived here, that much was clear.

“I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Sarah.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you too.” Karen had done her research after everything that happened with Frank. It felt like a lifetime ago, that fateful moment when she thought, just maybe, she could find a way to help him. But instead, he disappeared from that elevator and they had stayed at arm’s length until he resurfaced in the hospital, only to disappear again, without a trace.

“You must be wondering why I called you.”   


“Yeah, just a little. And how you got my number.”

Sarah smiled again. “Come with me.”

Curious, Karen followed her up a creaky staircase and into a darkened bedroom. Squinting in the dim light, she saw someone lying in the bed, wrapped up in what looked like every blanket in the house. Her heart sank into her toes, and she realized exactly who it must be.

“He’s been pretty out of it, but he kept asking for you, and I couldn’t just leave him like that.”

Karen nodded, moving towards him, despite herself. He was sleeping. His fingers twitched, even in his dreams, and she wondered what he dreamed about. Whatever it was, it was making him toss and turn restlessly. He groaned, and Karen’s heart sank. Was he in pain? Was it the fever? Or was it a nightmare?

Karen hesitated. She didn’t want to wake him up, but she couldn’t bear to see him like this. They had been through too much together. He had been through too much.

She sat down on the bed beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder. Frank flinched, face contorting into a grimace that drew an ache from deep inside Karen’s chest. His hair had grown out again, his beard falling softly against the hard lines of his jaw.

His skin was burning under her touch, but he shivered violently nonetheless, mumbling something she couldn’t quite make out.

“Karen,” he said, more clearly this time. “Karen.”

She felt her cheeks flush, even though Sarah had already left, closing the door behind her. She pulled the rocking chair from the corner of the room and sat beside his bed, hand falling to his instinctively. It was too hard to think of all the other times she had sat like this, in different hospital rooms, watching over him while he recovered from all the injuries he took, doing the work he did. Karen couldn’t help but wonder if this time would end differently, if it even could. They seemed to circle back around, over and over again, but she couldn’t quite reach him. She had never been able to break through and show him what she knew they could be, if he would just let her in.

This wasn’t the time for that, anyway. Frank was feverish, delirious. Sure, he had asked for her, but he wasn’t even conscious. She wasn’t entirely sure that counted.

It was warm in the room, and Sarah had put a humidifier in the corner. Karen yawned. She hadn’t even realized how exhausted she was, but as she sat and rocked, she felt her eyes closing.

She must have fallen asleep, because she woke with a jolt, realizing that the sun had completely gone down. Lights glimmered all along the street, sparkling against the snow that was still floating gently down, piling up in soft drifts that were going to make the drive home a little tricky.

Frank’s hand tightened around hers, and Karen looked back at him as his eyes fluttered open. He looked around, frantic, until his gaze fell on Karen and he froze.

“Hey,” he croaked, coughing violently as he tried to sit up.

“Relax, Frank.” Karen pressed him back into the pillows and he tried to smile. His face looked pained at the effort, like it wasn’t used to the expression. The thought broke her heart. ‘How are you feeling?”

“I’ve had worse,” he tried to joke, even as a bout of sneezes overtook him.

“Do you need anything?” 

Frank shook his head, laying his other hand over hers.He was still burning hot, but Karen wasn’t about to move away. “Thank you for coming.”

“Why am I here, Frank?” The words slipped out before she could stop them. “I haven’t seen you in months.”

His face fell, crumpling into a frown. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen, I tried to tell Sarah not to call you, but she insisted. I wasn’t really in any shape to resist.”

“I’m glad she did.” Frank’s squeezed her hand, hard enough to almost hurt. “I’m just sorry it took you being this sick to get you to call me.”

“I had business,” he mumbled, not quite meeting her eyes. 

“I know you did. But I didn’t know if you were even alive, after the last time…” she trailed off, remembering the way they had left things.

Frank tried to sit up again, but the cough seized him again and he fell back with a grimace. 

“We don’t have to get into this now,” she said softly, brushing his hair out of his eyes. He was still feverish, and she could see the exhaustion in his face. “Get some rest, Frank. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Tugging her hand out of his, she slipped out of the room without looking back. She couldn’t look at him. She probably shouldn’t have come here, but she couldn’t leave now.

She headed back downstairs and found Sarah there, waiting with two wine glasses and a bottle of wine.

“I think we should talk.”

“Okay,” Karen said slowly. She sat down and watched as Sarah poured the drinks. She seemed trustworthy, but you could never be too careful, especially with the company they both kept. “What about?”

Sarah’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

She took a sip of wine and shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“That man,” Sarah said, nodding upstairs, “has never once asked for anything.” She didn’t have to say the rest of what she was thinking for Karen to know what she meant.

“I don’t understand why he wanted me to come. It’s not like I can help him. You already have things under control.”

Sarah’s face softened into a smile. “I don’t know about that.” She took a long drink. “Sure, I have the medicine and the blankets and all that, but that’s not all he needs. He asked for you, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him no.”

“He said he told you not to call me.”

Sarah laughed. “He did no such thing. David brought him home last night, and he collapsed into that bed. All he’s said is your name since he got here.”

“Really?” Karen said, blushing.

“Yeah. Really. He told me about you, before, in his way. You’re important to him.”

Karen shrugged. “He has a funny way of showing it.”

“Did he ever tell you I tried to kiss him?”

The glass in Karen’s hand fell to the table with a clunk. “What?”

Sarah waved her hand. “I thought David was really gone, and Frank had been around, being helpful and sweet and, Frank. You know.” Karen nodded. She did know. “And I thought I would take a shot.”

Karen wasn’t sure what exactly to call the feeling that swelled in her chest, but it burned a little like jealousy. She pushed it down. “And?”

“And he was very sweet about it, but he made it clear he wasn’t interested in me that way. And we’ve never spoken about it again, but even then, I knew his heart belonged to someone else.” She laughed lightly. “For someone who’s done some really terrifying things, Frank is really a gentleman at heart.”

“Old-fashioned.” The word popped into her memory as she was taken back to the moment when she brought Frank back to her apartment and unraveled the whole Micro plot in the first place. Really, she was the reason they were both here. It had all started with some white roses and a desperate plea for help that she was powerless to resist.

No, it had started with a bruised and broken man, strapped to a hospital bed, who already needed her help. And he still thought he needed her, even now that he was just sick, held to the bed by his own body failing him, not any restraints. She wasn’t so sure he was right, after everything that had happened, but she’d help him however she could. She was in too deep to do anything else.

“Karen?” Sarah said gently. “You still with me?”

“Yeah, sorry.” Karen took a larger gulp of the wine to wash away the memories. “Just thinking.”

“Listen, if it’s not too weird for you, you’re welcome to stay here. It’s getting late, and I know the roads are bound to be icy. I’m sure Frank would be glad to have you nearby.”

She wasn’t so sure about that either, but she’d take Sarah’s word for it.

“Thanks.” Karen looked around. “Where’s your family?” She felt like she knew all about the Liebermans after her research for Frank, but the only person she had seen since she arrived was Sarah.

“They’re out at a Hanukkah party, but I didn’t want to leave Frank alone. They’ll be home soon, if you want to meet them.”

Karen almost did, but the shadow of the man sleeping upstairs was already overloading her mind, flooding it with memories and questions and fears and hopes, and she wasn’t sure she could handle any more.

“I think I’ll just go to bed, if that’s okay.”

Sarah smiled sympathetically. “That’s more than okay. I know this had to be a surprise for you today. Thank you for coming.”

She showed Karen upstairs to a bedroom next to Frank’s, and put some towels, a toothbrush, and some spare pajamas on the bed. Karen washed her face and tried to relax enough to sleep.

After tossing and turning for what felt like hours, she slipped out of her room, and into Frank’s. She just wanted to check on him and make sure he was alright.

He was awake, staring up at the ceiling when she came in. Those dark eyes flicked down to stare through her, in that way only Frank Castle could do.

“I owe you an apology,” he said, voice growling through the quiet. Karen could hear the muffled sounds of the family returning, but it felt like they were miles away.

“No, you don’t, Frank.”

“Just, let me say this.” He swallowed, and Karen sank into the rocking chair again. Whatever it was that he wanted to say, she had a feeling she was going to need to sit down. “You’re right. I was an asshole, not to let you know I was okay.”   


“That’s not…”

“Please, Karen.” Frank’s voice cracked, and she could see the guilt in his eyes. She knew how much of it he already carried with him, and she hated to think that she had added to it. “I just, I thought it would be easier if I disappeared. Give you a chance to get back to your life, forget about me.”

Karen scoffed. “You really thought I could do that?”

“I hoped so, I guess.” He looked down. “I’m sorry, Karen.”   


“I’m sorry too, Frank.” She took his hand again. His skin had cooled a little, and Karen realized his fever had broken. “I never should have brought all that up when you were so sick.”

“No, I deserved it.” His eyes met hers again, and something in the air shifted. He was always good at that, making her feel frozen in place, like she couldn’t move until he did. “You’ve always called me on my shit, and I need that.”

Karen wasn’t sure what to say. She had so much she wanted to say, so many things to ask him, but she needed him to take the first step. She couldn’t do it again, not after trying so hard for so long and being left behind.

“You’re good for me, Karen. I guess it just took coming down with the flu to get my damaged brain to put that together.”

In a moment that Karen wasn’t entirely sure she wasn’t imagining, Frank brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

“You need to rest, Frank.” And she needed to process this, whatever  _ this _ was.

He didn’t let go. “Will you stay?”

“I’ll be right next door.”

He kissed her hand again and released it. Karen stood, on shaky legs, and tottered towards the door. She certainly wasn’t going to sleep now.

And she didn’t. Every time her eyes closed, her mind raced back to that moment, when Frank’s lips had touched her skin, and she shot awake again.

Eventually, she could see the gray light of dawn peeking through the curtains, and she figured it was as good a time as any to get up.

As she opened the door, she walked straight into Frank, who was standing outside her door, fist raised like he was about to knock. She stumbled back, and he reached out to steady her. Heat spread over her body in waves, emanating out from the place where his hands touched her.

“Frank?” she whispered. It was barely dawn, and the last thing she wanted was to wake the whole house. “Are you okay?”

He nodded, and she tugged him inside the room by his shirt. There was an odd look in his eyes that she couldn’t quite read, but Karen had a feeling this was a conversation they should have in private.

“What is it?”

He took a deep breath, steadying himself for whatever he meant to say. Her hand was still on his chest, and she could feel his heart pounding under her palm. 

“That apology I gave you, that’s not enough.”

“Frank…”

“No, let me get this out. Please, Karen.” His voice broke a little, and he swallowed hard. “The way I treated you, it’s not right. You deserve so much better.”   
And there it was. The inevitable moment when Frank decided he wasn’t good enough for her and left, for her own good. 

“So, I’m going to make it up to you. Everything that’s happened, I want to make it right.” He looked down at his shoes. “If you’ll have me.”

Karen blinked. “What?”

“I know I have no right to ask this of you, and you can send me packing and I’ll go, happily. You deserve so much better than me and all my bullshit. But I’d like to try, with you, with us, if that’s even something you’d want.”

Roaring filled Karen’s ears, and she felt like her brain was running at half-speed. “Is that really something you want, Frank?”

He nodded, looking up at her almost shyly, those brown eyes filled with something unfamiliar: hope.

Karen couldn’t help herself. She pulled him closer and pressed her lips to his. Sick or not, she needed this to be real, and to be now. She was done waiting.

“So, is that a yes?” Frank said, with a wide smile when they broke apart.

“Yes, so kiss me, you idiot.”

She came down with the flu herself a few days later, and she was sick for Christmas, but Karen had never been happier to be trapped in bed until she felt better. The fever and aches were worth it, to have Frank by her side, for good this time. He said he wasn’t going anywhere, and she believed him. He didn’t lie to her. He never had.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed what I came up with! This took a while to come together, but you know Sarah Lieberman is all about getting these two together, so she had to be part of it. As always, comments and kudos are always appreciated! Happy Kastle Christmas!


End file.
